


A Price Worth Paying

by PokeChan



Series: One More for the Road [1]
Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Illnesses, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-06-01 17:24:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6529195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PokeChan/pseuds/PokeChan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Syaoran catches ill, but the world he and the others find themselves in is unable to heal him. Desperate, Kurogane and Fai turn to Watanuki for help, but the price to save Syaoran's life is not one they can pay alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah so I've been dying to write several small-ish ideas and one shots and I've also been wanting to include Hime in more fic, so consider this the beginning of all that. Her wings are no longer clipped.

_“The kid’s fever won’t break.”_

_“This world has no medicine for this illness.”_

_“We can’t let him die!”_

_“Please, we’ll pay anything.”_

\--

It had all started innocuously, a slight but stubborn headache. It hadn’t seemed like anything that a cup of tea and a good night’s sleep wouldn’t fix. Syaoran hadn’t paid it much mind, he’d had worse pains in more dire situations than staving off boredom in a sleepy village in a quiet world. 

Things were easy there, the people were friendly. Kurogane helped the local fishermen down by the riverbank and Fai found work helping in the fields. Syaoran spent time with the village children, keeping them from getting underfoot with stories of his travels and playing partner to Mokona’s antics. Everyone in this world worked together, like they were one huge family. They’d all been welcomed in with friendly smiles and open arms. It was heartwarming.

It had also made made Syaoran feel homesick and lonely in a way that being surrounded by people could not fix. It was easy to ignore the tight, aching knot in his chest. At this point in his life it was like a limb of his, just a part of him. There was no need to dwell on it, and it was easy to be distracted by the laughing children and Mokona’s giggles and the way his head throbbed slightly when he turned too fast.

Everything went downhill rather quickly after a few days when Syaoran woke one morning and couldn’t get out of bed. His body felt like it was made of lead and his vision swam whenever he tried to move. Breathing was a chore, as if there was something heavy sitting on his chest, and he felt as if he’d been dunked in a tub of ice water. Mokona was the one who realized Syaoran was unwell and she’d called worriedly for Kurogane who, luckily, had yet to leave for the day. 

A few minutes of checking Syaoran over and Kurogane had declared that he was heading into town to find a doctor. He placed a cool rag on Syaoran’s forehead and piled the blankets he and Fai had been using on him. After helping Syaoran take a few sips of water Kurogane scooped up Mokona and headed out, unsure of how far he’d need to go to find a doctor or healer of some sort. 

Syaoran wasn’t sure how long Kurogane was gone. Heavy curtains were blocking out the sun and the distant sounds of the village were too faint for him to focus on. He might have drifted in and out of consciousness, but there was no way he could have been sure. If felt like he never had a reprieve from the misery of whatever illness had come over him. He shook and ached and wished someone would make it all stop.

Eventually, Kurogane and Mokona did return, with Fai and an elderly woman in tow. It was difficult to focus on what was happening around him. His ears felt like they were filled with cotton, muffling everything around him hopelessly, and before long Syaoran stopped trying and trusted Kurogane and Fai to take care of him.

His waking moments came and went, each of them blurry and thick with fevered haze. He was never alone, that much he knew. Kurogane or Fai were always there, sometimes both of them, helping him drink water, trying to get him to focus on them and see how he was feeling. Even through the insistent fog he could tell they were growing increasingly worried.

There was no telling how long Syaoran had been out of it before they called Kimihiro, but things must have been truly awful if they were willing to pay a price to cure his illness. He shuddered with sudden chill and was promptly reclaimed by unconsciousness.

\--

All day Sakura had felt unsettled. From the moment she woke there was a sense that something just wasn’t right. She went about her usual duties and noticed nothing out of place. Her mother and Yukito both seemed unperturbed and everyone in the castle were as well and merry as they were any other day. Yet still, the feeling persisted all through the day and well into the evening. 

Finally, she had had enough. After dinner, rather than heading back to her room, she made her way out into the ruins and the sacred pools within. Something -- _someone_ \-- was calling to her, needed her, and the closer she got to the waters imbibed with her other self’s magic the more she could sense it. Her toes had barely skimmed the surface of the water before she realized who it was calling to her.

“Watanuki-kun…”

It was easy to let herself slip into the dream, follow the gentle but insistent tug of Watanuki’s magic. The place they met was familiar, a blank place, surrounded by shadows as thick and heavy as velvet curtains all around them. Winding tree branches held them, strong and sturdy beneath their feet. It was the same place the other Sakura had first met Watanuki, and it was the place she continued to meet him.

He was somber as he faced her, it seemed like he always was these days and she wished there was something she could do to ease his pain. “Sakura-chan, I have a wish,” he said as way of greeting.

Needless to say, she was a bit taken aback. Something was wrong, very wrong. “What do you mean?” 

“Syaoran is terribly ill,” Watanuki explained. “The world he’s in cannot help him and the others are very concerned. Something must be done, or he’ll die.”

Terror gripped her heart. No… no he couldn’t die. Syaoran couldn’t die, not so soon, not so far away from her. There had to be something she could do. She had a feeling that was why Watanuki had come to her, and that knowledge weighed heavily in her mind. If Watanuki needed to call upon her the price of the wish must have been very steep indeed.

“You know healing magics and medicinal recipes,” Watanuki continued. There was no question, she’d informed him of some of her lessons, nights where their souls drifted together and they spent their dreams in comfortable company, sharing stories both good and bad. “You could heal Syaoran’s illness. That is my wish, all our wishes, for you to save him.”

He told her how Kurogane and Fai had called on him, scared and desperate to help their ailing friend. The wish had come with a price too heavy to bear, even for the two of them together. Watanuki had refused to leave things like that, though. He had managed to work out a way to save Syaoran, though the price would still be heavy.

“All of us share the same wish, and so we will each pay a part of the price,” he said. “Kurogane-san and Fai-san have agreed to endure the burden, as my price I have agreed to allow it to be inflicted upon them all, your price, Sakura-chan, is to inflict yourself upon their journey and all that would entail.”

Sakura had remained in Clow in order to spare her friends the danger she had foreseen. Darkness and war, blood and tears, all of it would be drawn to them and they to it if she had joined them. The threat was still present, looming over her, keeping her from tapping into her power and rejoining those she loved so dearly. She and her power were a danger, but now they were what could save Syaoran’s life as well.

It had taken her only a second to make the decision. 

“I’ll go.”

A small smile stretched Watanuki’s face. “I knew you would. Go prepare, quickly, Clow’s time moves slower than that of the world Syaoran is in now, but there isn’t any time to waste. Take this, pour your magic into it when you’re ready and it will take you to them.”

The object Watanuki handed her was small, a tiny figure carved of some dark wood into the shape of a bird. The details were fine and it was clear that this figure was crafted with care and love, she could feel it thrum inside. With her shoulders set she bid Watanuki farewell. Around her, the dream dissolved until she was once again standing above the pool of sacred water. 

Without a second to spare she bound from the water and all but flew up the stairway and into the desert night. The streets were nearly empty and the moon was bright in the sky above. As she ran through the town and up the courtyard pathways she made a mental list of everything she would need.

Short on time she called for one of the servants employed by her family. She often did what she could on her own, never wanting to be a burden to others, but she was going to need some help right now, time was short and stakes were high. She requested traveling clothes and a sleeping roll and a sturdy bag with a short list of basic supplies. The servant didn’t question her and, though she was clearly confused, went off to do as Sakura had asked.

Sakura made her way to the healing wing of the palace and, as quietly as she could, into the main office of the head healer. Gathering the necessary supplies was easy enough. She was familiar with the herbs, ointments, and tonics of her people by now. She filled a travelling case to the brim with anything she could think to need and left a short, hurried note, thanking the healer for the supplies.

Her new clothes and bags were sure to be waiting for her in her room by the time she made her way up there, and indeed they were. Her mother was also waiting for her, hand smoothing out imaginary wrinkles in her cloak. She shouldn’t be surprised to see her mother there, Nadeshiko was a gifted seer and it was only natural that she would keep a close eye on her daughter, even more so given past events. Still, she felt almost like a naughty child with her hand caught in the sweets drawer before dinner. 

She felt tears welling up and her throat was tight. She didn’t want to leave her family behind, but she had other loved ones, ones that were family in their own rights, that needed her. Still…

“It’s alright dear,” Nadeshiko said kindly, stepping forward and hugging Sakura. “Do what you feel is right. We will wait here for you to return. Yukito and I will watch over things in your stead.”

Sakura allowed herself a few precious seconds to cling to her mother, and if a few tears escaped from her they were lost in Nadeshiko’s hair as if they had never fallen. “I love you, mom.”

“Be safe. I love you, too.”

Never in her life had Sakura ever donned battle armor. She recalled Tokyo, and how the other Sakura had felt as she readied to go and fetch the price for the water. She didn’t feel so differently now, facing down a great and largely unknown danger all for the sake of the ones she loved. And she would do it a thousand times and more if it meant that they were safe.

Packed, and as prepared as she could hope to be, Sakura pulled out the figure Watanuki had given her and woke it with her magic. The world around her melted away as she was taken from Clow towards her destination and towards a dying Syaoran.

_Please hold on, I’m coming!_


	2. Chapter 2

The house Sakura appeared before was a modest thing, sturdy looking though undecorated and impersonal. A thick curtain served as a door and shutters were closed over the windows. For a moment she wondered if anyone even lived there and thought, perhaps, she would need to go around and ask others where she could find her family, but just as she was about to turn and leave on her search the curtain was pulled aside and the familiar, much loved face of Fai appeared.

“Sakura-chan! You’re here!” 

There was no doubt that Fai was happy to see her, his smile was as bright as the circles under his eyes were dark. It was so nice to see him, even with the current circumstances being what they were. She was in his arms within seconds, pulled close and smiling into his chest. They didn’t hug long, just long enough for her to hear his heartbeat a few times through the fabric of his shirt. When they parted he smiled down at her, his hands gently cradling her face.

That was when she noticed his eyes. One was the same, familiar blue she remembered, but the other -- the one he’d lost in Tokyo so long ago, before any of them had truly understood what it was they were all caught up in -- was a brilliant, golden color. 

He noticed her attention and shook his head. “Later, right now there’s a sick puppy that needs your loving attention.”

Fai led Sakura into the small house and into an even smaller room. There was a single bed, occupied by Syaoran, his breathing labored and his face contorted in discomfort. Mokona was snuggled against his shoulder, surely trying to do all she could to relieve some of his suffering, and Kurogane was sat beside them both on a rickety looking wooden chair. He looked up when they entered the room and Sakura could see his expression soften upon seeing her. She offered him a small smile in return and caught Mokona easily when the little creature bound towards her, calling her name.

“It’s good to see you, princess.”

“You too, Kurogane-san,” she said before flinging her arms around his neck in a long overdue hug. He held her, tightly and briefly, and only seemed to let go because Syaoran had begun coughing. There would be plenty of time later for reunions. Squaring her shoulders, she got down to business. “I’m going to need a basin of fresh water, clean rags, and a list of his symptoms.”

Both Fai and Kurogane moved as soon as she’d spoken. Kurogane left the room to fetch the water and rags while Fai knelt beside Sakura and listed off Syaoran’s ailments. It sounded like he’d come down with a terrible flu, almost overnight from the way Fai explained how Syaoran had fallen ill one morning, unable to get out of bed and shaking with fever.

The people of this world knew this illness, they called it _syroke_ and it was as good as any death sentence, their medicine unable to combat it. 

She pulled out the medicine kit she’d packed to the brim with everything and anything she could have thought to need. The stone mortar and pestle she had packed were small, but they were sturdy and the stone it was made of had come from beneath the water in the ruins, imbibing it with powerful, though subtle, magic. She set to grinding a few choice herbs and when Kurogane returned with the water she poured a splash into the mortar before dunking one of the rags in and dabbing lightly at Syaoran’s forehead.

He was pale and clammy to the touch. His body shook with each ragged breath he took. She did what she could to ease his discomfort while Fai and Kurogane helped her grind up the herbs she needed. 

The day had been young when Sakura first arrived, the sky still tinged with pink as dawn broke. By the time Syaoran’s breathing had evened and his face had smoothed into something more relaxed it was well into the night and Sakura felt exhausted. She slumped in her chair and just took a moment. Her eyes fell to Syaoran, finally looking at peace and felt pride and love swell in her chest.

She smiled, the world falling away from her, leaving only her and Syaoran. They were together, and they would stay that way. It would be dangerous, but her family was no stranger to deadly battles and dangerous worlds. It would be difficult, but she knew they would manage. So long as they were together. 

A hand on her shoulder drew Sakura out of her musings and back to the present. Fai was smiling down at her. He looked as tired as she felt and she wanted little more than for the five of them all of pile into a single bed and sleep an entire day away. That wasn’t in the cards for them, though, not yet.

“You should get some rest, Sakura-chan, we can watch over him for a few hours more,” Fai said.

Sakura was shaking her head before he even finished with his suggestion. “You guys have been watching over him for so long,” she said, turning to smile at them both. “I’ll stay here with him.”

Fai looked like he wanted to argue and insist that Sakura rest, but Kurogane stood and gently ruffled her hair, plucking Mokona from the bed as he went. “We’ll be in the next room over,” he said, already steering Fai away. “Call for us if you need us, princess.”

Sakura watched them go, her smile small but warm. She had missed them dearly, even though she had never actually traveled with them. She remembered the other Sakura’s time with them, knew the feelings that had developed as time and worlds had passed. They were as dear to her as any of the family she had back in Clow. And she knew she was dear to them as well. 

There was no telling exactly when she’d fallen asleep. The night was dark and the candle in the room had been burning low last she could remember, and the next thing she knew she was slumped over, face down in the bed, her hand wrapped around Syaoran’s. 

While she might not have known when she’d fallen asleep, Sakura knew exactly what had woken her. Syaoran’s breathing had become labored once more and in a drowsy rush she spun around to try and find more medicine for him, nearly knocking herself and the chair to the floor in the process. The last thing she needed was to wake Kurogane and Fai with a crash because of her own clumsiness. Shaking the sleep from her mind, Sakura prepared another dose of medicine for Syaoran.

She brushed his hair out of his face gently as his breathing calmed and his features smoothed into something less pained. She didn’t expect him to recover over night, didn’t even expect him to wake up for another day or two, so it was with great surprise that she found herself looking into dazed, amber eyes, clouded by illness and sleep both. 

“Hey,” she smiled. She kept her voice low and gentle and carded her fingers through his hair a few times. “How are you feeling?”

Syaoran blinked up at her a few times and made a face that could have been disbelief. She could see him trying to claw his way back into reality, but it was a battle already lost. She made to shush him back to sleep when he finally seemed to remember how to speak, albeit slowly and slurred. “Mother?”

It was like someone had doused her in ice water. For a moment all she could do was stare in shock as Syaoran blearily watched her from the bed. Sakura recovered as quickly as she could and shook her head. She smiled sadly down at Syaoran. “No, it’s me, Tsubasa.”

The sound of their real name was heavy in the dark room, it weighed down the shadows and made goosebumps rise on her arms. 

There was only a gentle oh from Syaoran before he dropped back into unconsciousness, helpless against its insistent pull. Sakura’s heart clenched tightly in her chest as she watched him. She couldn’t accurately explain why it had hurt, but the pain was there all the same.

With a sigh she put her things out of the way and climbed on to the bed to lay beside Syaoran. She couldn’t make a habit of this while he was recovering, but for just one night she could allow herself this closeness that they’d both been denied for far too long.

\--

The aching of his head was what finally pulled Syaoran from his dreamless sleep. Sunlight was filtering through gently wafting curtains, the open window letting in both a gentle breeze and the sound of birdsong from outside. Syaoran’s entire body felt too heavy and his stomach clenched painfully with hunger. He hardly had time to wonder how long he’d been out of it when he realized someone was holding his hand sweetly in theirs.

Only the peaceful expression on Sakura’s sleeping face kept Syaoran from crying out in shock. It was her hand holding his, soft and warm and loving. For a little while all he could do was stare. Sakura had no business being here, none at all. A hundred questions ran through his mind as he watched his princess slumber, cheeks pink with sleepy warmth. None of them mattered at the moment, though, not with her hand curled around his, here and now. 

Syaoran would have been content to lay there and watch Sakura sleep for hours, days even, but after only a meager handful of minutes the curtain that served as a door was pulled aside and the rest of their small family made their way in.

It only took a second for Mokona to spot Syaoran and bound over to him. “Syaoran is awake! Mokona was _so worried_! Syaoran’s been sleeping for days, even after Sakura gave him medicine!”

Mokona’s cheerful cry had been enough to startle Sakura awake, getting her to shoot up from where she’d rested her head on the edge of Syaoran’s bed, her hair flying every which way, a complete mess. She blinked about in confusion briefly before her eyes met Syaoran’s and her face lit up in a brilliant smile. 

“You’re awake!” Sakura leaned closer, pulling his hand to her chest while her other hand felt at his forehead and cheeks. “Your fever finally broke yesterday and it doesn't seem to be coming back,” she reported. “We were really worried about you for a while.”

Syaoran frowned. “If you’re here my illness must have been really bad.”

From behind Sakura, Fai nodded. “There’s no cure in this world for the sickness you’ve been suffering. You would have certainly died if we hadn’t had Watanuki-kun bring Sakura-chan here to heal you.”

Their faces were grim as they gave Syaoran some time to let the news of his near death sink in, but there was only one thing that concerned him at the moment. “You guys paid Kimihiro to save my life?” None of them spoke but all the answers he needed were in their reactions. Kurogane looked away, arms folded across his chest, Fai sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged, and Sakura looked him right in the eyes. “What did you pay?”

Sakura shook her head. “It isn’t important-”

“Sakura, please,” Syaoran insisted, forcing himself to sit up. The room only tilted a little.

“She has to stay with us,” Kurogane said and Syaoran would always be thankful for his blunt, honest nature. “The danger she stayed behind to avoid will come to pass, that was her price.”

Fai sighed and continued. “Kuro-sama won’t be able to replace the mechanical arm if this one breaks, and I gave up my magic’s ability to grow more powerful. All well worth it to have you alive.”

“Watanuki-kun also helped pay the price,” Sakura added. “We all care very dearly for you, Syaoran. We weren’t going to let you die.”

Syaoran looked between the three of them with a mix of heartbreak and incredible fondness. He shouldn’t have forced such prices on them, he should have taken better care of himself and not caught ill, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel warm, right down to his very bones, at the obvious love they all had for him. He looked away to scrub at the few tears that had welled up in his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. 

“Thank you, all of you,” he said once he was sure his voice would come out steady and unbroken.

Syaoran had just enough time to see Fai and Kurogane smile at him before Sakura flung herself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug. As he returned the hug he thought to himself that this might all very well be worth whatever hardships were now meant to come upon them if he could hold Sakura in his arms like this. 

It would take him a few days yet to recover properly, longer still to be back to his full strength, but he wasn’t alone and he trusted his family to keep him standing. There was also something to be said for the restorative powers of waking up with your hand in the hand of the person you loved most in all the worlds. 

He was sure to make an impressively quick recovery with Sakura by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the opening to the series where Hime will be travelling with the family. I'm going to try to keep each fic separate enough to be stand alone, but they will inter connect. I have an ending planned as well, so it is going somewhere over all. It's gonna be rather episodic.


End file.
